Conrad Tan
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Hello everyone! We've been back for a few days, and I've been crunching through 500Gigs (20,000 images) as quickly as I can. I'd first like to apologize for the sheer number of images. I appreciate your understanding in allowing me a little latitude on my 15,000th post to put up so many pics! My intent was to document and illustrate everything we did and saw and post it all in a semi-chronological fashion. I've agonized about so many images that are not going to make this first post, but that's ok, I'll put them up on my next post. Please look through to the very end. There's a bonus video for you all to enjoy! 
First of all, if you are expecting NatGeo-low angle-perfect light-blood and guts action, this is not the trip for you. It was very difficult shooting in the Range Rover, shooting over your buddy's hat, arm, shoulder, etc. Some of the guides were slow to realize we were photographers, and not animal fact enthusiasts. We wanted shots in good light, but being in the truck with so many other folks, it wasn't ideal shooting especially when the action occurred right beside the vehicle and one had to shoot downwards at the animals eliminating all bokeh. Eventually, the guides started to understand what we wanted, and began to do their best to get the sun on our backs, and maximize unobstructed shooting. By our last day, we were saddled with a guide that went out of his way to get us just the most absolutely best shots we could get despite the heavy clouds and lack of light (it is winter there now making for really short days and some rain)
Now the good stuff... We got to see so many many things, our schedule was booked from 4AM till 8PM just about every single day. This did not include all the fun and hijinks that occurred throughout the evening (Ant, my brother Steve and I bunked in one treehouse). We went zip-lining, competed in some archery, saw how the local villagers lived including visiting an elementary school, visited a wildlife rehabilitation center, visited several gaming preserves that allowed amazing close-up opportunities with and much more! We ate 6 awesome meals a day with each meal practically including an appetizer, main course and tasty dessert. (I gained 7 lbs ) We made good lifelong friends with the other guests Gerossimos (Greece), Kylie, and Grace (Australia). We were of course, at our best behavior... Yeah right! We couldn't have been a more crude, crass bunch of guys, but they dealt with us with a lot of understanding and good humor. The staff was more than accommodating and our hosts Greg and Karen Sweeney provided us with a lifetime of memories we will soon not forget. Their site can be found HERE
For example, video of me going down the zipline HERE
Another video of Anthony zipping down the wire HERE
Please note there is some crude humor and some gore in a few of these shots so I hope you are not easily offended! Well let's start the show! I hope you are sitting down!
1. This is most of what I took with me on my trip. Funny, I used my 70-200mm on 95% of these images you'll see. The action was THAT CLOSE. I only used my 500 a handful of times.
2. A fine day to go to Africa! We crossed the San Francisco Bay Bridge with much anticipation!
3. Three stooges wait at our gate. I can barely contain myself!
4. And the crude humor begins! The captain turned off the air conditioning for some reason before we left, and it started getting real warm in the plane. Ant and I had some thoughts about it.
5. Our first stop from San Francisco was NYC. I wish to thank Eric (Eyelaser) for getting his son to pick up a couple of better beamers for Ant and my brother. It was kind of you to get those for us Eric! Here we are at Times Square! Woohoo!
6. Here I am trying to get my shot and not get run over
7. My brother shoots Ant shooting a skyscraper we'll never see
8. We wander about trying to find the best angles! I should have brought a fisheye
9. As you can see... there was almost nothing we wouldn't shoot Haha!
10. A 3AM stop at a Gyro vendor! Yummy!
11. NYC Skyline. Not as good as I'd liked but we really didn't know a good vantage point to shoot from. We just sorta stumbled into this one
12. Getting serious with our long exposures!
13. My brother Steve thinking about our trip
14. Met up with Chadda the next morning at the airport! Now the fun really begins!
15. Chad and I get foot massages while waiting for our flight!
16. An aerial view of Johannesburg the morning we got there.
17. We're here!!! Happy birthday little brother!
18. Our driver met us with a sign with our names on it! I felt like a VIP Hehe...
19. Yeah buddy let the shooting begin!
20. After our long flight... this is what happens. Chad amusingly didn't snore!
21. Ant unfortunately did
22. We stopped by a fast food place as it was a 9 hour drive from Jo'berg to our lodge. The food was pretty good! One US Dollar is about 6.5 South African Rand.
23. Meerkat found on our way to the lodge!
24. We finally get to our lodge! After a few days, we really felt like this was home!
25. Our first sunset in South Africa. Every sunset was spectacular here!
26. Our home away from home!
27. Our first sunrise! This was the view of our treehouse from Chad's place.
28. Can you find Ant getting his treehouse shot?
29. This Lesser Bushbaby was found in Chad's treehouse!
30. Load em up!
31. Having a good old time with my buds!
32. Did I mention the dust? Plenty to go around! The Jeep was tossed about with roads that felt more like tiny mountain ranges
33. One of the many scenic sights along the way
34. Our first day was packed full of good shots already. We visited a local game preserve and got these Elephants! As you can see... the guide/light wasn't always cooperating.
35. Black backed Jackal stalking Guineafowl
36. Cheetah and baby!
37. Baby Rhino being as cute as can be!
38. King of the Termite mound!
39. A cute pair curious Dwarf Mongoose.
40. What the hell is going on here?
41. During our mid-day breaks we did some archery.
42. Shooting resumes with a cooperative mother and baby Giraffe.
43. Our baboon sightings were most entertaining.
44. A Red-billed Oxpecker had this Zebra in its talons
45. We went into town one day to see how the local villages lived. One of the first things we saw were these women carrying unbelievable loads on their heads!
46. We visited a preschool/kindergarten where we spent sometime with the children handing our gifts to the ones that were getting good grades! This little girl started crying when she saw people from another country with flashing and speaking a strange language!
47. Some of the brightest students in class. The girls were given dolls, the boys got spider-man socks!
48. Driving back home, we took these grab shots out of our moving car. The shooting never stopped haha! This is a local barber shop! As a one time barber, I was thoroughly amused!
49. The local tire repair shop. Crude but effective!
50. The Pay-less Shoe Store! The pickins are slim today.
51. There were not many paved roads where we were. In fact the potholes were everywhere and deep and wide. Our game drives were an exercise in Bush Yoga just trying to stay in the truck!
52. Back at home we got to shoot around the lodge. How low can you go? How about this chameleon at dirt level?
53. A stick bug found by our host Karen Sweeney!
54. Young Zebra gives me a pose!
55. Kudu and mates. I believe we sampled this animal one evening's meal.
56. Leopard Tortoise cruising by!
57. Blue Wildebeast. I wish we could have seen the great migration but it is the wrong time of year.
58. Baboon gave us the best facial expressions
59. Waterbuck (I think we ate this meat too. He was actually very tasty )
60. Karl was not forgotten! Several shots were taken just for you my friend!
61. There's a fungus amongus!
62. Honey Badger (meanest mammal on earth)
63. African Wild Dog. These things are so frighteningly powerful in person. I'd hate to be stalked by a pack of em.
64. Tried some slow shutter speed work with Rhino running by. Not as easy as it looks!
65. No open savannah this day this Cheetah ran by, but I'll take it! More slow shutter work. Tons of fun!
66. A young male Lion gives me a pose
67. Caracal on his perch
68. A female Cheetah looking for prey
69. Grey Go-Away Bird. When it calls, it literally sound like its saying Go Away!
70. Grey-Billed Hornbill
71. Cape Glossy Starling. There were dozens of these at one rest stop we made!
72. Brown Snake Eagle (I think)
73. Burchell's Coucal
74. Magpie Shrike being quite difficult to expose.
75. Nyala. I don't think we got to eat this meat.
76. African Scops Owl
77. Juvi Bataleur
78. Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill
79. Ostrich
80. Burchell's Starling (I think)
81. Lion cub on a mound. The local ranger found this cub and the preserve is raising it to be released someday. Cute isn't he?
82. He already looks like the King he will someday be!
83. A grab shot of at the end of another day. I call it "Cloud Tree"
84. A glimpse of the cubs future... regal isn't it?
85. Closeup!
86. Red-Billed Hornbill.
87. One day we all went Zip-lining. If you've never done it, you're gotta try it!
88. Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!
89. Another day we visited a wildlife rehabilitation center. I got to feed vultures!
90. More sunset shots from the Jeep
91. Vervet Monkey clan enjoying the cool shade.
92. Intra-cloud Lightning (skipped dessert for this photo)
93. One of my favorite grab shots of the day. Taken while on an elephant back safari
94. Anthony and I did some long exposure lightning work and got some good bolts!
95. African Fish Eagle (good thing I took the 500 this day)
96. Steve chimpin through photos at the end of the day (we were all guilty of this )
97. One of the better lit Cheetah shots I got from the trip.
98. My prized Leopard on a tree shot!
99. My personal target species of the entire trip. A Lilac Breasted Roller with a clean BG
100. I hope you have all enjoyed my little post! I'll be posting more now and again as I've got a TON of files to still go through. Bye bye for now!
Bonus Video! Probably the funniest thing I've ever seen Ant Dance
Edited on Jun 11, 2011 at 07:36 AM · View previous versions
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